


Never Alone.

by MetalMistress



Series: Invader Zim: After The Florpus [14]
Category: Invader Zim
Genre: Alien Biology, Alien Cultural Differences, Alien Culture, Alien Technology, Aliens, Angry Dib, Angst, Confused Dib (Invader Zim), Coping, Dib has the flu, Discrimination, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Baggage, F/M, Family Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus, Protective Zim, Reader Goes Into Mom Mode, Reader gets sassy, Sexism, Sickfic, Tall Zim (Invader Zim), Tooth-Rotting Fluff, dealing with depression
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:22:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22024777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MetalMistress/pseuds/MetalMistress
Summary: Dib's father is never home, and even when he is home he's never mentally there all the way.So when Dib falls ill, he becomes lonely....But Dib is never truly alone. ♥
Relationships: Zim (Invader Zim)/Reader
Series: Invader Zim: After The Florpus [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1543243
Comments: 13
Kudos: 70





	Never Alone.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [QueenofAngstandSin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenofAngstandSin/gifts).



> Hi guys! I learned how to embed youtube videos into the fic! Yaaay!  
> Now I just gotta hope that they never delete the video. Yaaay!
> 
> Really though, I'm excited to give you guys this fic... and I already have an idea for the next one!  
> This fic is dedicated to QueenofAngstandSin (formerly SoulofKindess) because they're awesome, and I love them, and you should go read their fics because they're a damn good writer. They made several suggestions at my request because they're fucking brilliant, and I was happy to put them to work.
> 
> Love ya, Queen! *Blows kiss* MUAH!

(This song describes Dib vs his oncoming depression and is his overall mood for this fic.)

Enjoy. ♥

* * *

Dib felt horrible. Utterly sick.

He felt... horribly nauseous. It's like something was grabbing him by the intestine and twisting it all around inside of his stomach. On top of that, he felt hot, and sweaty, and his nose was stuffed up in one nostril, while the other one was runny as all hell. When he went into the bathroom to get ready for Skool, the scent of fresh lemon cleaner hit his nose. Normally, it wouldn't bother him. Normally, it would be pleasant to smell.

Not today.

The sharp scent of citrus hit his nose, and something about it just made his stomach clench. He gagged several times before he finally dived for the toilet and threw up. Last night's dinner, likely some sort of TV Dinner because his dad was never home to make a healthy meal, came up his throat and landed with a sloppy, wet 'plop' into the toilet bowl. The sight and smell of the half-digested dinner made him throw up once again, but thankfully nothing came up this time as his stomach was empty.

Ugh... Looks like he wasn't going to Skool today.

Drat. Well, back to bed it was...

* * *

Hours later after resting, Dib finally has enough energy to go downstairs to get a drink. He is thirsty, and his body desperately needs some sort of fluid to recover from this morning.

He expects to be alone, so it was a surprise when his dad-- his actual dad, not the floating monitor he usually uses as a substitute- was standing there in the kitchen drinking a glass of water. When his dad looked up, he seemed... surprised to find Dib in the doorway.

"Hey Dad." Dib croaked, his throat sore from heaving all day. "Can you get me some water, please?"

"Uh... Sure." His dad said confused, before quickly getting a glass of water and handing it to Dib. "Um.. Son? Why aren't you at Skool today?"

"Well, I threw up this morning in the bathroom so I stayed home..." Dib said cautiously. "Did... didn't you notice that I was missing when you usually dismiss Gaz and I off to Skool?"

His dad shifted nervously on the spot.

Dib's jaw went slack. "You... you didn't notice? You didn't notice that I was gone? That I was missing from the breakfast table when you did your routine 'Good Morning, spawns' check in?!" Dib exclaimed, quickly becoming angry.

Professor Membrane tries to defend himself in a gentle voice; "Son, I'm sorry. I was busy, and I was in a rush because I was on the verge of a breakthrough and I-"

"That's just it, Dad! You're _always_ on the verge of another break through! You _never_ have time for Gaz and I because you're always in a lab, either in downtown or the one in the basement! When is the last time you spent time with Gaz and I?"

"Well, we had our annual dinner together a couple nights ago."

"But most kids have dinner with their parents _every night,_ or at least they see their parents before trudging off to their rooms to eat by themselves. 364 days of the year Gaz and I only get to see you through a monitor most of the day! It's like you don't care if we get to see you or not!"

"Dib, of course I care. I really do, but-" His father said pleadingly.

" **NO YOU DON'** **T!** " Dib screams while throwing the glass to the floor angrily, causing it to shatter and his father to gasp in shock.

His father just stares at his son, slightly frightened at the sudden outburst. Dib just points at him and angrily glares at him.

"You don't get to tell me you care. You've shown nothing of the sort towards me." He spits angrily.

Professor Membrane's shoulders drop in defeat. Dib turns away and starts to walk of but falters in his steps. He turns to his father, and says one more thing;

"When was the last time you said you loved me?"

"..I don't know." His father quietly admitted.

"...Exactly." Dib said while choking back tears, before tearing off to his room and slamming the door shut.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Zim Household, things were going decently.

You had just given Zur a bath, since he and GIR had gotten into your secret chocolate bar stash. When you found them, they both had chocolate _all_ over their faces. You just sighed, lightly scolded them for their gluttony, and joked that they should have saved you at least one... to which Zur pulls out an unopened chocolate bar and tried to hand it to you. So after laughing for 20 minutes, you gave Zur a bath, cleaned and polished GIR's metal body, and put them in the nursery to play, and then went to tidy up the living room. Zim would be home from Skool soon, and you wanted it to look nice and clean for his arrival.

But when you entered the living room, Zim was already there sitting on the couch.

And he looked upset.

He was leaning forward on his seat, with his elbows propped up on his knees so he could hold his head up. His brows were furrowed, and had a deep frown on his lips. His eyes were blank, just staring ahead at the empty TV screen.

"Zim?" You ask, softly.

His eyes snapped up and looked at you. You couldn't read them like you normally could. It worried you.

"Are you feeling ok?" You ask, slightly fearful. He's never been so quiet before. Usually he is a ball of emotions and exuberant energy.

"Yes I'm fine, I-..." Zim paused, before running a hand over his face in frustration. "No. I'm not."

You walk over and sit down on the couch next to him. Wrapping an arm around him, you ask; "What's wrong?"

"..Well, don't laugh at me but I'm worried about Dib."

"Okay. Why?" You said, calmly.

"Well, he has been having a troubled time as of late, with the strained relationship with his father, Professor Membrane. And... he didn't show up to school today, so I thought..."

"That something happened to him?"

Zim nods slightly, with a deep green blush over his face. Never in his life did he think he'd be worried about Dib's absence.

"Zim." You place a comforting hand on his cheek so he'll look up at you. "That's nothing to be embarrassed about. In fact, I'm quite proud that you and Dib have been able to put aside your differences and be friends. I'm sure nothing bad happened. Why don't we have the computer do a quick scan of the neighborhood?"

Zim nods in agreement, and curls into your chest. Wrapping both arms around him, you call up to the ceiling. "Computer? Can you do a scan of the neighborhood for me? Specifically, where is Dib and how is he doing?"

The Computer beeped for a few moments before informing you; "Dib is at home. It seems he has come down with the human disease known as the 'flu'. He is severely dehydrated, and has a high fever of 101.4"

"Has he hurt himself?" You ask bluntly. Zim cringes, not at your bluntness but at the potential answer you might recieve.

"No. He has not." The computer replies, causing Zim to sigh in relief.

"Okay, thank you!" You reply graciously, before looking down at Zim. "You feel better?"

"Yes." He nods against your breasts. You huff a little and smile softly. Then you get an idea.

"Hey. How about we give Dib some medicine ourselves?"

"But... _germs!"_ Zim shivers in response.

You giggle. "If you take the right precautions, you won't get sick. Did you forget that Vexens have advanced medicine? Now that I'm back in contact with the Hive, we can get it whenever we need to. They've opened up a teleporter to our location so we can come and go as we please. All we have to do is type in the coordinates and we can go. All I'm saying is that Dib sounds like he desperately needs the help, and needs the support. We can leave Zur in GIR's care, and we can go check on him, just you and I. Does that sound okay?"

Zim thinks for a moment before agreeing to your suggestion. "I agree with your terms. What should we do first?"

You smile and stand up, stretching and fluttering your wings slightly. "Well, the first thing I think we should do is make him some medicine. I can make some soup for him, like humans do. But, I think I'll add some vexen spices to it to help him heal a little faster. The Human flu is a lot similar to an illness that Vexens get."

"I believe the one you're talking about is called the "Icky". Right?"

"Right. The Icky. High fevers, vomitting, diarrhea, headaches, swollen antennae, and droopy wings."

"Yes, that's it. Irkens get it too, but without the droopy wings. I've only had it once in my life... I never want to repeat the experience." Zim shudders while following you into the kitchen.

You nod, and pull out several ingredients to make chicken noodle soup. Zim stays a fair distance away from the chicken, because he has a bad reaction to meats. At least, the kind of meat that humans eat.

"So, what do we do first?" Zim asks, while looking at all of the ingredients.

"Well.."

* * *

It took you awhile, but you manged to make Dib some soup. You packed it up in a container, and then got dressed into your human disguise. Zim settled for his wig, his contacts, and his irken uniform as usual. After asking GIR to watch Zur, you stood at the front door, making sure you had everything you wanted to bring. You were going through a large cloth bag, when Zim approached, staring at it curiously.

"What's that?"

"It's a bag." You deadpanned.

Zim gave you a look of 'Really? We're doing this now?' and the expression was enough to make you snort.

"It's full of stuff I want to bring to Dib to help cheer him up, baby." You explain, opening it enough for him to see. Zim checked the contents, and his eyes brightened a bit. "Ah! He's going to enjoy those I think."

"I hope so. Took me awhile to pull everything together." You said, nervously. 

Zim put a comforting hand on your shoulder, and smiled lovingly at you. "I'm sure the Dib-Human will enjoy them, Life-Mate. Mind if I bring something too?"

You blush and give him a shy smile, before nodding gently.

Zim returns your smile with an exuberant grin, and runs off to grab something. He runs back and stuffs them into the bag. "Alright. Onward!"

The pair of you marched out the door and locked it behind you, softly asking the Computer to make sure that GIR and Zur were safe inside at all times. After double-checking that you had everything, you walked down the street with the soup container in one hand, and your cloth bag on the opposite shoulder. 

"Do you think the spices you put in there will help his system regenerate faster?" Zim asked, his curiosity peaking as he eyes the soup.

"Yeah. I've given them to a human before."

"Really? When?"

You smile. 

"When I first arrived here, I got in my human disguise and went to work at a soup kitchen for some extra cash. The kitchen survived solely off of tips because they mainly fed the homeless. I didn't realize the homeless population on here on earth was so large. We don't have homeless people on the Hive. The entire colony goes the extra mile to make sure everyone is well-fed, healthy, and has a bed to sleep in at night. It was one of the things that I loved about the Hive when I lived there, because people were so nice. Granted, that was before my... incident, but even afterwards that didn't really change much. Well, there were so many sick homeless folk that I... I just felt so bad. It was reckless of me to do so, but I slipped some extra Vexen spices into the soups. The spices have a cure-all effect, and I figured if it could help Vexens, then it might help humans as well. Our anatomy is similar on the outside, minus the wings and antennae. I was lucky it did help. It really was reckless of me because it really could have hurt them. I was so lucky it didn't... The homeless folk always came back for seconds, feeling so much better than they ever had before. Many even came back to thank us, saying something in the soup made them feel better. The other volunteers didn't know, but I did. I always knew."

Zim smiles at your tale, and goes to open his mouth to reply when a passerby walks head-first into him.

"Watch where you're going, freak!" Screams an adult male. The male looks like a stereotypical 'chad' kind of character; blonde, blue eyes, tall, buff, but horrendous manners. 

You manage catch Zim before he hits the ground. Zim lets out an angry, low, hiss, used as a deadly warning to irkens and other alien races to _back-the-fuck-off._ You'd think, most humans would back off when someone fucking hisses at them, but this guy seems to have the brains of a rock.

"Did you fucking hiss at me? What are you, some sort of lizard? You're green like one too, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised." The douchebag snarls.

You intervene, putting yourself between the human and your mate as the human advances towards Zim. 

"Back off, dude." You growl.

"Who the fuck do you think you're talking to, bitch?"

"I'm talking to _you,_ asshole. Sorry that your one brain cell isn't charged up for use right now, but don't insult my husband like that." You threaten, opting to calling Zim your 'husband' instead of 'mate' so that the stupid guy would know what you're talking about. You had explained the terms to Zim, so you weren't worried about him getting confused.

Zim stood behind you protectively, just in case the human got too cocky.

"Whatever. Just watch where the fuck you're going next time, slut." The human sneered.

The word 'Slut' made Zim's brain falter for a second. He was familiar with that term. He didn't like that term.

He _definitely_ didn't like it being applied to _you_.

Zim lunged at the human from behind you. The guy was startled, because he hadn't expected Zim to move so god damn fast. Within seconds, the guy was pinned to the ground. He tried to shove Zim off of him, but the rage and adrenaline rushing through Zim's veins was too strong for him to overpower. He pushed Zim with all of his might, and Zim didn't even budge. It startled you, because the human was not scrawny or tiny like Dib. This guy was tall, taller than you and Zim, and _twice_ as buff as a regular fit adult human.

It actually kind of scared you to know that Zim had that kind of strength when he was angry. Thank Irk that he never laid a hand on you during your arguments in the past prior to your relationship because if he had... you didn't even want to think of what could have happened.

"Do not speak of her that way. Do not throw such disgusting filthy insults in her direction because if you do then you'll have _me_ to deal with, and I can assure you I will not be gentle. Do you understand?" He whispers, inches from the human's face.

The human desperately nodded.

"Good. Because if we see you again, and you don't..." Zim suddenly brandishes one of your daggers he keeps strapped to him at all times. "Then I'll use this to carve out your insides and hang them from trees like Christmas ornaments."

The guy whimpers, and immediately pisses himself.

Zim, disgusted, shoves himself off of the human and leaves the guy in his own puddle of urine.

Zim puts the dagger away, and then proceeds to check your skin for wounds. Obediently, you spin around and let him run his hands all over your skin to make sure you weren't hurt. You didn't even bother reminding him that you hadn't even been touched by the guy, because you know he wouldn't hear you. Not in the feral state he was in. Once he was satisfied, he presses a kiss to your neck, where your mating-mark lay underneath the human disguise.

"Let's go. I do not want to waste another moment in this filthy earth-monkey's presence."

You nod, and follow Zim quickly down the sidewalk.

* * *

You arrived to the Membrane household.

"Ready?" You murmur excitedly to Zim. 

"Ready." He smiles at you. He had gotten into a better mood once you had gotten away from the nasty human from earlier.

You nod at him, and then ring the doorbell.

"One moment, please!" Calls a masculine voice from within. You recognize the tone to be Professor Membrane. 

After a minute or so, the front door opens. Professor Membrane pops his head out, and then sees Zim. 

"Oh! Dib's little foreign friend! Only, not so little anymore! Haha!" He says cheerfully, noting that Zim was face-level with him.

"Uh.. yes. I had a um... A growth spurt." Zim spits out, embarrassingly. Professor Membrane seems to nod and accept the explanation, and then he turns to address you.

"And who might you be, young lady?"

"She's a family friend of mine!" Zim spits out hurriedly. He couldn't exactly use the 'She's my Life-Mate' explanation because Professor Membrane thought that Zim was a similar age to Dib. "She's uh... she's met Dib before when he came over to visit one day."

"We heard that Dib was sick. We brought him some soup and some presents so he'd feel better. Could we see him, Sir?" You ask politely, turning on your friendly charm to help make Zim's story believable.

"Oh, of course! Yes he's very sick. I'm sure he'd appreciate the visitors... He's been in a terrible mood lately."

You nod and give him an empathetic smile, although beneath the surface you're seething because you had a sneaking suspicion that _he's_ likely the cause of Dib's sour mood.

"He's upstairs, in his room. Just at the end of the hall." He says, stepping aside so you both can enter. 

"Thank you Sir!" You say before taking off up the stairs with Zim.

"That was close." He murmurs silently to you.

"Mhm. C'mon, his room is down this way."

You get to Dib's door, and you both can hear him coughing, and sniffling from within. Zim raises his hand and gives a firm knock on the door.

"Go away, Dad!" cries Dib, weakly.

"I wasn't aware that I suddenly grew male genitals and became your father, Dib." You say jokingly.

"Whu? Mom?!" He says, in suprise. The fact that he calls you 'Mom' makes your heart flutter affectionately.

You snort. "Yeah. It's 'Mom'. Zim is here too."

"Hello, filthy human!" Zim calls cheerfully.

You can hear Dib snort and laugh a little. "Come on in. The door is unlocked."

Zim opens the door and lets you walk in first. Normally in Irken traditions, Zim would be the first the enter a room so he would be able to check for possible threats to you and the smeet, but since he knew that Dib was not a threat and the smeet was safe at home with GIR, he kindly let you go in first. Besides, neither of you considered yourselves to be a traditional couple. He knew you could handle yourself anyway.

"Hey, Kiddo. You look horrible." You say, sympathetically.

He really did though. His nose was red, puffy and swollen, and his eyes were glazed over. His nose was runny, and he had a bucket by his bedside. From the smell, he likely had gotten sick a couple times. Dib chuckles breathlessly before coughing a little. "What are you two doing here?"

"We heard you were feeling sicky, so we brought you stuff so you don't feel icky." You joke playfully.

Dib snorts at your lame rhyme and looks at the clear container in your hand. "You made me Chicken noodle soup?" He says, in disbelief. "I thought you guys couldn't handle meat."

"Irkens can't. Vexens are a little more hardy. And yes, we made you soup. I handled the meat, and the broth. Zim helped out too."

Dib looked at Zim, questioningly.

"I didn't spit in it, I promise." Zim says, giving a little salute. "Irken's honor."

Dib laughs, and shakes his head. "You guys are too much. You didn't have to do that. Thank you."

"Of course we did! What kind of Mom do you take me for?" You ask, while pulling out a spoon from your bag, and placing the container on Dib's lap. The container keeps the soup nice and warm, and Dib hums as the warmth heats up his legs through the thick comforter. He opens it up, and takes a scoop of noodles and broth, and slurps it. His eyes bulge. "Wow! This is really good. Better than any soup I've ever had!" He looks up at you. "What did you put in this?"

"Regular ingredients, and a little bit of Vexen spices. They have a cure-all effect. It'll help you heal faster. Don't worry, it's safe for humans."

Dib's eyes soften, and he smiles appreciatively up at you. "Thanks."

Zim sits towards the end of the bed, and you sit right beside him so you're located between he and Dib. 

"What's with the bag?" Dib nods towards the giant cloth bag on your shoulder.

"Well, I made you a couple things." You say softly, while putting it down on your lap. The first thing you pull out of it is a blanket, stitched with the finest of Vexen Thread. When you hand it to Dib, he marvels at how soft it is. The texture is unbelievably smooth against his fingers, it makes silk feel coarse in comparison.

"You made this?" He whispers in disbelief, with tears in his eyes. "For me?"

"For you." You confirm with a nod. "And that's not all. Zim brought you something too."

Zim reaches over and pulls out a piece of Irken technology. Specifically, an irken tablet of sorts. 

"It's an Irken tablet." He explains. "I made it myself. They're used to record data, like what you humans call a journal. They can scan your environment, and report back it's findings. It can also tell you the DNA make-up of a living organism, which it shows via a 3D model. I figured if you didn't want to actually use it, you could at least reverse-engineer it and find out how it works."

Dib's eyes brighten tenfold. "Thank you!"

You smile gently, and pull out a book, full of what seems to be Vexen folklore. The cover was made of a smooth metal, shiny silver in color. When it's opened, it opens up to smooth, paper-like pages. The pages, they don't feel quite like regular paper beneath his fingers. It's coarser, thicker, and sturdier.

"What material is this?"

"It's our version of paper. Genetically modified. We don't have trees on our ship, so we manipulate certain chemicals and materials to make a paper-like substance. Neat, huh?"

"Yeah!" Dib exclaims. "And you live on a ship?"

"Mhm. Our entire colony lives in a massive ship, known as the Hive. I'm sure you remember seeing the Irken Mothership, the _Massive_ , during the Florpus Hole?"

"Yeah."

"The Hive is like, 20 times bigger than that." You chuckle. "20.576 times bigger, if I recall correctly."

"Woah! Really?!" Dib says excitedly.

"Mhm. The entiiiiire race of Vexens live on it. As far as I know, I'm the only Vexen that doesn't."

"That's amazing!"

You smile. You can just feel the joy as it radiates off of his entire being, and you can't deny that you feel the effects of it. It makes you feel light, and giddy. "Do you want to know more about it?"

"YES!"

"I'd like to hear more about your people too, Life-Mate. I admit I do not know much about your kind. My PAK does not have access to those records, it seems.."

"I'll gladly tell you both. What do you want to know?"

"What are your people like?" Dib asks.

"Well, we're a bipedal species with a Matriarchal society. We all have large wings, a lot like your little dragonflies do. We're like taller versions of the Irkens, except instead of green skin, we tend to be blue or purple. Sometimes, a Vexen can be both blue and purple... we just call them a 'multi'. It's a lot like what you humans call 'vitiligo'."

"Is it looked down upon if you are more than one color?" Zim asks.

"No. Being a multi is considered a blessing because it's so rare. Thousands of eras ago, a Queen was a multi, and legend says she was one of the most beautiful queens to have ever have lived. She was teased a lot by her peers, but when she came to power, she realized that her spots did not make her a 'freak' as her peers once had told her, and was able to teach them that _all_ of their differences were beautiful. She realized that they, in fact, make her unique. Her story has been passed down upon generations, and her story is taught to smeets in hopes that, they too, will embrace and accept themselves as the wonderful beings they are. It doesn't matter if you have a deformed arm or wing, or if your antennae are crooked, or if you're gay, bi, or lesbian. It doesn't matter, because you're beautiful too."

"Your culture sounds like it embraces mental health a lot more than ours do." Dib comments, with a sad tone.

"It does." You say with a sympathetic smile. "I was going to ask you about that... how are you doing, Dib?"

"I'm okay." He shrugs, his shoulders stiff.

You frown. "No you're not." He goes to protest, but you cut him with a look that says 'Don't lie.'

Dib's shoulders drop, having been found out. "I thought I could fool you. I didn't want to bother you with my problems.."

"Dib, even I have come to accept that my Mate cares for me. It's in her nature to make sure the ones she cares about are okay. That includes you." Zim offers.

The human looks at his alien friend and sighs softly before nodding. "It's just... I feel depressed. Do you know what that is?"

"I am familiar with the term, yes. Zim is too. A lot of Irkens and Vexens have depression, just like humans do."

"I think I have depression. It's more than just 'feeling sad' it's like.. It's like I'm drowning and watching everyone around me breathe easy at the same time. I try to make it through the day, but..."

"You feel lost. Hopelessly lost. Like nothing you ever do is good enough. Nothing you do can please anyone. But you keep trying, because what else _can_ you do? Give up? It's not an option. Not if you want to survive." Zim adds, speaking entirely from personal experience.

"Exactly!!"

"And then when you think you find a way to make it all better, the floor gets pulled from underneath you." You add.

"Yes!" Dib says, pulling at his hair. "Finally, someone else gets it!"

"Of course we understand Dib. We're depressed too." You add, holding Zim's hand tightly. Zim subtly squeezes your hand, reassuringly.

"But you both seem so happy."

"Dib, I'm considered a mistake by my society." Zim explains. "I'm called what is known as a 'defective.' It's a horrible name to be branded."

"What happens if you're labelled a defective?"

"You get put to death..." You explain softly.

"WHAT?!" Dib shrieks

"A 'defective' is someone whose PAK is not up to code. It means that they have a harder time doing things that other Irkens can do with ease. My PAK has so many errors, so many mistakes, that when they tried to disable it, thus ending my life, it drove the control brain insane. I thought it was humorous at the time, but now I find it to be quite sad."

"That's horrible! They tried to kill you just because you're different?! Because you have a harder time doing things?"

"Yes."

"Why did you still try to please them after that?! Why?!"

"Why do you?" Zim retorts. That causes Dib to stop and think.

"Because I want to be accepted for who I am."

"Exactly. However, your circumstances are not as extreme as mine were, so thankfully you have much greater chances than I do. That does not mean, however, that I had it worse. It just means you have a better opportunity to have things go your way." Zim explains, cordially.

"You think so?" 

"We know so." You and Zim say in unison.

Dib smiles at the both of you. "Thanks, guys.." He says shyly.

You gently pat his leg through the blankets. "Not a problem, Kiddo. We're here for you. That's what Mom's and best friends are for. Now why don't you eat and then get some sleep?"

"I will. Thank you, both of you."

"Not a problem, Dib." 

You and Zim bid him goodbye, and then quietly closed his bedroom door behind you, and left the Membrane residence.

Dib stared out of his window, and all he could think of while he ate your soup was what you had said;

_"Not a problem, Kiddo. We're here for you. That's what Mom's and best friends are for."_

He smiled at your kind words, and murmured to himself; "Maybe things aren't as bad as I thought..."

After finishing the soup he put the container on his nightstand along with the tablet Zim, and then wrapped himself up in the blanket you had made, and fell into a peaceful sleep.

Goodnight, little Dib. Sleep tight and remember that even though you feel sad, at least you had your friends by your side. ♥

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, pets. ♥
> 
> What did you guys think? Did I do okay? Was it good for you? c:
> 
> Let me know if you have requests, or want to see a certain pairing (Red/Reader or Purple/Reader). I love hearing y'all ideas, and I'd be happy to work for you guys!


End file.
